Power converters may require specific semiconductor switches, that is to say transistors, for example, which have a sufficiently high current-carrying capacity and reverse voltage so that the electric power of more than 3 kilowatts can be switched using the lowest possible number of semiconductor switches. Said semiconductor switches may be combined in what are known as power semiconductor modules. These power semiconductor modules include semiconductor switches arranged close to one another on a common thermally conductive support. The individual semiconductor switches are wired to terminals by means of bonding wires, by means of which terminals the power semiconductor module is interconnected with the peripheral area. To operate a power semiconductor module of this kind, it is necessary to connect a circuit board, for example, on which, for each semiconductor switch, a gate driver circuit is provided for switching the semiconductor switch. Furthermore, the power semiconductor module must be mounted on a heat sink, to dissipate the heat accumulated in the described support from the power semiconductor module.
Due to the compact, block-shaped physical form and the necessity of the external connection to gate driver circuits, it is difficult to match a power semiconductor module to given power and installation space data. In addition, due to the multiplicity of possible applications for modern converter technology, there are different requirements for power and installation space data depending on the application. However, there is a limited selection of available power semiconductor modules. If there is no suitable power semiconductor module available for an application, a system will use a less than optimal, oversized power semiconductor module, which constitutes an undesirably costly solution.